The short version: most phrasebooks teach what you should say. This guide covers the other side: the Korean you hear all day in shops, on the subway and in conversation, what it really means, and the reply Koreans give. The ones that surprise learners most are social: 밥 먹었어요? is often just “how are you?”, 다음에 밥 한번 먹어요 is a friendly goodbye, and 들어가세요 ends a phone call.
The first days in Korea are full of short phrases that go past too quickly to look up: the call from behind a shop counter, the voice on the train, the thing a colleague says as you leave. They are the same twenty or so phrases every day, and once you can recognise them, the city starts to sound much less like noise.
In shops, cafés and restaurants
Welcome. Called out as you come in.
Please wait a moment.
I'll ring you up. Said when the cashier is ready for you.
Enjoy your meal. Said as food arrives.
Come again. Often with 안녕히 가세요.
The full counter conversation, including bags, points and receipts, is in Korean convenience store phrases, and ordering is covered in how to order in Korean.
On the subway and bus
Seoul's subway announcements are repeated in English, but the Korean comes first, and on buses there is often no English at all. These are the lines to listen for:
This station is City Hall. 이번 means this one; 다음 역 is the next station.
The doors will open on the right. 왼쪽 is left.
The doors are closing.
Transfer. The card reader says this when you change between bus and subway within the transfer window.
Please tap again. The reader did not catch your card.
Insufficient balance.
Excuse me, coming through / I'm getting off. From people behind you as the doors open.
In any conversation
Pardon? With rising intonation, it is a polite request to repeat. Flat, the same word means yes.
Hang on a second. While someone checks something or finds their card.
Really? / Right? Small reactions that keep a conversation moving. 그쵸 is the spoken form of 그렇죠.
Oh no! / Oh dear. 어떡해 is said when something goes wrong; 아이고, heard especially from older people, covers surprise, sympathy and tiredness.
The social phrases that confuse learners most
These four look like questions or plans, but in daily life they work as greetings and goodbyes. Answering them literally is the most common learner mistake.
Have you eaten? Often just a warm “how are you?”, not an invitation.
Let's get a meal sometime. A friendly goodbye, like “we should get lunch”. It becomes a real plan only when a day is named.
Thank you for your hard work. Said at the end of a shift, a meeting, a class or a project.
화이팅: you can do it, good luck. 들어가세요: literally “go in”, meaning get home safely; it ends many phone calls.
Check yourself: what do you say back?
Pick the most natural reaction.
It is a greeting. A short answer and a question back is all that is expected.
들어가세요 closes the call. Reply 네, 들어가세요.
Thank them: 감사합니다, or 잘 먹겠습니다.
왼쪽 is left; 오른쪽 is right.
잠시만요 (excuse me) and 내릴게요 (I'm getting off).
Reply with the same phrase.
Train your ear for the Korean around you
Hanguljo takes you from Foundation lessons (Hangul, stroke order, native audio) through the TOPIK 1–6 lessons (vocabulary, grammar and particles) with Hanja roots and memory hooks and a 7-stage SRS engine. Speak in the conversation track with shadowing, train your ear with dictation, learn from any Korean video you paste in, read real Korean with the on-device OCR scanner, and keep practising with home, lock screen and quiz widgets, all in a calm, focused design.
Learn Korean with Hanguljo - FreeQuick reference
- Shops and restaurants
- 어서 오세요 (no reply) · 잠시만 기다려 주세요 → 네 · 맛있게 드세요 → 잘 먹겠습니다 · 또 오세요 → 감사합니다.
- Subway
- 이번 역은 ○○역입니다 · 내리실 문은 오른쪽/왼쪽입니다 · 출입문 닫습니다.
- Card reader
- 환승입니다 (transfer) · 다시 대 주세요 (tap again) · 잔액이 부족합니다 (top up).
- Getting off
- 잠시만요 / 내릴게요 = excuse me, coming through.
- Conversation
- 네? (pardon?) · 잠깐만요 · 진짜요? · 그쵸 · 어떡해 · 아이고.
- 밥 먹었어요?
- A greeting. → 네, 먹었어요 / 아직이요.
- 다음에 밥 한번 먹어요
- A friendly goodbye. → 네, 좋아요!
- 수고하셨습니다
- End of work. → 수고하셨습니다.
- 들어가세요
- Goodbye, especially on the phone. → 네, 들어가세요.
Frequently asked questions
What does 밥 먹었어요 mean in Korean?
Literally 'Have you eaten?', but it is often a greeting like 'How are you?'. Answer 네, 먹었어요 (yes) or 아직이요 (not yet); nobody is necessarily inviting you to lunch.
What does 들어가세요 mean at the end of a phone call?
Literally 'go in', it means 'get home safely' or simply 'goodbye'. When someone ends a call with 네, 들어가세요, reply with the same words.
Is 다음에 밥 한번 먹어요 a real invitation?
Usually it is a warm way to say goodbye, like 'we should get lunch sometime' in English. Answer 네, 좋아요! If someone suggests a date, then it is a real plan.
How do you reply to 수고하셨습니다?
Reply with the same phrase, 수고하셨습니다, or 수고하셨어요 with a colleague. It is said at the end of a shift, a meeting or a project. To a boss, 감사합니다 is the safer choice.
What do Korean subway announcements say?
The key lines are 이번 역은 ○○역입니다 (this station is ○○), 내리실 문은 오른쪽입니다 or 왼쪽입니다 (the doors open on the right or left) and 출입문 닫습니다 (the doors are closing). Seoul's subway repeats each announcement in English.
- National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (한국어기초사전): entries for 수고하다, 환승, 잔액 and 들어가다.
- National Institute of Korean Language, 《표준 언어 예절》 (Standard Language Etiquette): greetings, partings and when 수고하셨습니다 is appropriate.
- Seoul Metro, official English site: station information and the bilingual announcement system.